I am sorry to quote the Daily Mail for a third time in one day. Why on earth does not every newspaper carry this story?
Scores of newly-qualified consultants are stuck without jobs because of mounting NHS debts, Britain's most senior surgeon has warned.Bernard Ribeiro, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said the predicted £1 billion deficit in the NHS has led to a 'vacancy freeze' for doctors who have passed their consultant exams.
This means dozens of trainee consultants are now facing unemployment or are considering retraining.
It amounts to a huge waste of taxpayers' money given that it costs £237,000 to get just one student through medical school.
Each of these new consultants has also had up to 12 years training within the NHS to reach consultant level.Figures from specialist associations within the college suggest there are 37 cardiac surgeons, 12 neurosurgeons and 35 ear, nose and throat specialists, who are all qualified to be consultants but have not got a job.
Mr Ribeiro said: 'Trusts are not employing new surgeons because simply the money is not there.
'All have their certificate, all are available for a job and there are no jobs for them.'
The full story is here.
Posted by James Bartholomew • Indexed in NHS • Waste in public services
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Of course as Private Eye point out, most of the Trust Deficits are related to PFI where the government's pointless slight of hand has produced a cost of capital far higher than it ought to have been.
Posted by: Mark T at June 8, 2006 12:52 PM
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Of course, the market response to the fact that there are plenty of candidates but not enough money to pay for positions, is for wage rates to drop until supply and demand come into equilibrium.
But the wage rates of medics have been increased so hugely due to government incompetences and the power of the medical unions that hospitals and trusts can't afford to employ them.
The royal colleges and the government are equally culpable here and it's the poor old taxpayers and patients that suffer.
Posted by: HJHJ at June 6, 2006 09:46 PM